Roger Stone: Judicial Nominee Was "Fixture" at Rothstein Parties

Roger Stone, the battle-scarred political operative once employed by Scott Rothstein, told Juice today that Spencer Levine had been a regular at Rothstein parties before Levine received a coveted appointment from the judicial nominating committee of which Rothstein was a member.

"He was a fixture at Rothstein's -- at his home," says Stone of Levine, appointed in April to be the judge in the state's 4th District Court of Appeal. "Whenever Rothstein had a charitable, political or social function, Spencer Levine was there."

That account differs from the one that Levine himself offered to Martin Goldberg, the former assistant federal prosecutor who was hired earlier this year by the North Broward Hospital District to investigate ethical improprieties by board members. In that probe, Goldberg interviewed Levine, who was then the district's chief operating officer.

From the notes of Goldberg's interview with Levine, on March 23:

Levine has known Scott Rothstein since he has been back in town, maybe two years. Levine has attended Republican fundraisers with Rothstein and maybe one at Rothstein's house or at the Jewish Federation.

Levine has never socialized with Rothstein and his wife alone and has only socialized with Rothstein to the extent that they see each other at big events they attend.

In addition, the notes indicate, "Levine has no friends at RRA (Rothstein's firm); only professional relationships."

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Stone himself didn't know Levine. He says he only learned of Levine's identity after he recognized him from the photographs of Levine that were published in recent posts on this blog.

A few weeks ago, I reported on a September 2008 meeting between the hospital district's CEO and attorneys for Rothstein's firm, who were seeking Broward Health's participation in a class action suit. The Rothstein team secured that commitment, even though the district's own general counsel -- who is entrusted with that authority in the hospital charter -- was not invited to the meeting. Levine attended the meeting, which took place one month after Rothstein had been appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to the judicial nominating committee for the 4th District Court of Appeal.

In his interview with Goldberg, Levine said he was "insulted" by the notion that he would play a role in arranging that meeting as a means of currying favor with Rothstein in Levine's candidacy for the judicial appointment.

Levine's attorney has not returned calls seeking comment. Levine himself did not immediately respond to a message sent to a personal email account that he used while working at the hospital district.